News From Around the Web
> A laptop and an external hard drive containing medical and personal information for hundreds of mental health patients at a counseling center in Yuma, Ariz., was stolen from contractor's home last month, the Yuma Sun reports. The laptop and the hard drive, according to the article, were stolen sometime between March 18 and March 25. Names, birth dates and dates of treatment plans for more than 500 patients served by Arizona Counseling and Treatment Services between 2011 and 2013 were stored on the drive. Article
Provider News
> Just because a surgical inpatient is satisfied with the care they receive does not mean the hospital providing it is necessarily complying with the highest standards for performing invasive procedures, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Surgery. Johns Hopkins University researchers surveyed patients and employees at 31 U.S. hospitals between 2009 and 2010 and concluded that "patient satisfaction was independent of hospital compliance with surgical processes of quality care and with overall hospital employee safety culture." Article
> A Minnesota hospital is investigating a gap in systems that allowed a stillborn baby to wind up at its off-site laundry service, the Associated Press reported. Officials at Regions Hospital admitted and apologized for mishandling the baby's body. Post
Health Insurance News
> As some industry experts continue to doubt whether federal officials can get the health insurance exchanges off the ground by October, private versions of these online marketplaces are moving full speed ahead. Consulting company Mercer announced Monday that 10 major insurers will provide health coverage through its private exchange, called Mercer Marketplace. Among the insurers are Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealth and multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Article
> The 33 health insurance exchanges that will be run by the federal government will be up and ready by on time, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before a House panel. Sebelius is so confident that her agency will meet the Oct. 1 deadline for open enrollment that she said HHS isn't even considering any contingency plans. Article
And Finally… Guess he never made it to that audition. Article